the praise felt strange in her chest, almost undeserved. had the bare minimum to survival become something to applaud? she glanced down at the doe, ears tipping back a little as the blood smell thickened in the heat.
the nudge got her moving. she stepped in slow, almost cautious, then tore a strip from the flank—she chewed and swallowed with all the enthusiasm of an oak tree, nodding once.
…thanks,she said after a beat, not looking at him.
